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[av_heading heading=’Trail Blazers upsets Cavs, 102-86, in snowy Portland’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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PORTLAND – A 24-hour travel odyssey hardly took a toll on Portland as CJ McCollum scored 27 points and the Trail Blazers shook off any fatigue caused by weather-related delays to beat the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers, 102-86, on Wednesday night.
Allen Crabbe added 24 points off the bench for the Blazers, who have won four straight home games against the Cavs.
Portland, playing the second of back-to-back games, led by as many as 24. A major snowstorm in the city Tuesday night sent the team from Los Angeles to Seattle and then finally to Portland.
”When we got up this morning and we were leaving Seattle, and we got on the plane and then the bus, there was just good energy around the team,” star guard Damian Lillard said. ”We were laughing and we were joking and I think we were just tired so we were goofy and whatever. But before the game we huddled up and I said, ‘We’re not tired. It’s just mental, and this is a game that we’ve got to go out and get.”’
LeBron James had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland (28-10).
McCollum, who scored 21 in the second half, hit a 3-pointer that put Portland up 85-69 with just under nine minutes left, then gestured for the crowd to stand as the Cavaliers called a timeout.
McCollum has had seven straight games with 25 points or more.
A snowstorm that dumped as much as 14 inches on parts of Portland caused travel problems for both teams late Tuesday.
The Cavaliers, who lost to the Utah Jazz 100-92 on Tuesday night, were delayed getting to Portland but finally arrived about 3 a.m. Wednesday.
The Trail Blazers beat the Lakers in Los Angeles 108-87 on Tuesday night. The team’s flight was sent to Seattle, and players spent the night there. They flew into Portland by midday Wednesday and stayed in a hotel to rest until game time.
The Cavaliers got a scare with 1:21 left in the first quarter when Kevin Love collided slightly with Al-Farouq Aminu and fell to the ground, clutching his left knee. Love walked off the court under his own power and returned a short time later.
The Cavs finished with just 14 assists – compared to 16 turnovers. They shot 34 percent. (AP)
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